By NTSB Safety Advocacy Division
Last week, NTSB Board Member Thomas Chapman and agency staff spoke at the Safe Mobility Conference, hosted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety in collaboration with the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Attendees came from throughout government, industry, academia, the research community, advocacy, and other key stakeholder groups. Students and professionals alike were welcome.
The NTSB delegation discussed the agency’s investigations, recommendations, and experiences advocating for traffic safety improvements. In the closing plenary, Member Chapman capped off the NTSB’s presentations, discussing how to learn from NTSB investigations to turn the vision of zero traffic deaths into reality.
Amplifying Victims’ Voices
NTSB Chief of Safety Advocacy Nicholas Worrell set the tone with opening remarks, and Dr. Ryan Smith, of NTSB’s Office of Research and Engineering, led the discussion that followed about incorporating testimonials from victims of traffic crashes into transportation safety campaigns.
Worrell highlighted successes from both the aviation and road safety worlds, and Smith encouraged victim advocates and researchers to explore how the advocacy and research communities can more effectively work together to improve transportation safety. Both focused on the role and importance of firsthand stories in raising awareness, creating political will and public demand for change, and changing driver behavior.
Safe Speeds for a Safe Transportation System
NTSB Senior Advisor Ivan Cheung updated conference attendees regarding progress on safety recommendations issued from our 2017 speeding report. Speeding is about as prevalent as alcohol in fatal crashes, and the NTSB is committed to finding solutions.
“Speeding increases the likelihood of being involved in a crash and intensifies the severity of injuries sustained by all road users in a crash. Slow down—your life or the life of your loved ones depend on it, the lives of shared road users depends on it,” Cheung told attendees.
Building a Healthy Traffic Safety Culture
NTSB Safety Advocate Bryan Delaney presented on engaging youth and teen drivers in roadway safety. Delaney explained the role of mentorship and advocacy in bringing youth into traffic safety initiatives and creating a positive youth traffic safety culture.
“Engaging youth and teen drivers in traffic safety efforts will increase the effectiveness of interventions,” Delaney said. “Put youth at the head of the table, not in the seat to the side, and they engage. Empowerment leads to ownership.”
Member Chapman: Moving from Vision to Reality
During the closing plenary, Member Thomas Chapman discussed NTSB investigations, recommendations, and positions. He stressed that attendees could learn from NTSB investigations in all modes to turn the vision of zero traffic deaths into reality.
“I am a big believer in the Safe System approach,” Member Chapman said.
Later, he described new and reiterated NTSB recommendations to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) springing from crashes in Avenal, California, and North Las Vegas, Nevada. We called on to NHTSA to:
- require all new vehicles be equipped with passive vehicle-integrated alcohol impairment detection systems and/or advanced driver monitoring systems;
- incentivize adoption of intelligent speed assistance systems that would prevent speed-related crashes;
- require, as standard equipment in all new vehicles, intelligent speed assistance systems that, at a minimum, warn the driver when the vehicle exceeds the speed limit;
- develop guidelines to assist states in implementing pilot intelligent speed assistance interlock programs for high-risk drivers who speed.
The conference boasted 3 interactive workshops and 3 plenary sessions, as well as 8 technical sessions featuring experts in topics such as the Safe System approach, traffic safety culture, and more. Attendees had opportunities to network, as well as to learn from new traffic safety research with a goal of moving the needle on road safety.
NTSB Safety Compass Blog 